Asia Mixed as Investors Inspect China Data

Asia-Pacific markets were mixed Friday as investors parsed China’s exports-imports data for April, with focus also on impending trade talks between Beijing and Washington.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 leaped 574.70 points, or 1.6%, to 37,503.33.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng gained 91.82 points, or 0.4%, to 22,867.74.

CHINA

In China, the CSI 300 let go of 6.74 points, or 0.2%, to 3,846.16.

China’s exports surged as shipments to Southeast Asian countries soared, offsetting a sharp drop in outbound goods to the U.S. as prohibitive tariffs kicked in.

Exports climbed 8.1% in U.S. dollar terms in April compared to the same month last year, official data showed, significantly outperforming the 1.9% increase forecast in a Reuters poll. Shipments to the U.S. plunged over 21%.

China stocks, however, did not get a boost from the strong data as tariff worries weigh on investor sentiment.

In other markets,

In Korea, the Kospi index docked 2.21 points, or 0.1%, to 2,577.27

In Singapore, the Straits Times Index recovered 27.94 points, or 0.7%, to 3,876.16.

In Taiwan, the Taiex Index popped 371.64 points, or 1.8%, to 20,915.04

In New Zealand, the NZX 50 regained 138.03 points, or 1.1%, to 12,605.07.

In Australia, the ASX 200 gained 39.55 points, or 0.5%, to 8,231.20